Hose examining forms



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 15, 1960 M #7 E F.

m Z 7 B w,

I 2 r 7 "A 4 ma m L 5 Sept. 4, 1962 w. H. HALL HOSE EXAMINING FORMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 15, 1960 x iiliil /v 1/5 /70 WiZZiamHemy J/QZ Z Ti 3 5r "nitdtate This invention relates to improvements in hose examining forms of the kind in which the hose is extended on a rotatable form and after examination is drawn down a passage in the form by an air stream and subsequently delivered onto a table on which the form is mounted or into a receptacle. The object of the present invention is to provide simple mean for drawing the hose down a passage in the form and delivering it onto the table, or into the receptacle.

According to this invention the form is provided with an air passage extending from the toe end to a tube which is rotatably mounted in bearings in a bracket, the tube extending into a chamber where it enters the end of a delivery pipe which extends from the inside of the chamber to a delivery point, an air space being provided between the two pipes and the chamber being connected by a pipe to a control valve which is connected to a blower so that by adjusting the valve the chamber can have air withdrawn therefrom or air under pressure supplied thereto. The form may be arranged to extend the hose as they are placed thereon or it may be provided with movable hose extending members which are pneumatically operated from the control valve to extend the hose after the latter has been placed on the form.

The tube may extend right through the form and the delivery pipe be arranged to deliver hose onto the table or into a receptacle. The end of the delivery pipe is provided with a flap valve which prevents the entrance of air at this point when air is being extracted from the air chamber. A plurality of examining forms may be connected to a common delivery pipe adapted to carry hose from the forms to a delivery point. 7

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section.

FIG. 2 a plan, partly in section and FIG. 3 is an end elevation of a hose examining form constructed according to this invention.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the delivery pipe leading to a receptacle.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a plurality of hose examining forms connected to a common delivery pipe adapted to carry hose from all the forms to the same delivery point.

Like numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

In carrying out this invention the form 1 is carried by a tube 2 which extends down the middle of the form from the toe end of the latter. The tube 2 extends from the other end of the form and is mounted in bearings 3 in a bracket 4 mounted on the front of a table 5. The tube 2 extends from the bracket 4 into a chamber 6 which may conveniently be carried by the bracket 5. Connected to the chamber 6 is one end of a delivery pipe which has its other end carried by a bracket 8 mounted on the table 5.

The chamber end of the delivery pipe 7 is larger in bore than the external diameter of the tube 2 or made conical as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the chamber end of the delivery pipe extends a short distance into the chamber 6 and the end of the tube 2 passes into the chamber end of the delivery pipe for a short distance providing an annular air space 9 between the outside of the tube 2 and inside of the delivery pipe 7.

3,052,387 Patented Sept. 4, 1962 The chamber 6 is connected by a pipe 10 (see FIG. 2) to a port 11 in a valve casing 12 and two other ports 13, 14 in the valve casing 12 are connected respectively to the inlet and outlet ports of an electrically driven blower 15 by pipes16, 17. A control valve 18 is provided in the valve casing 12 which is movable by a hand or foot operated lever 19 so that air can be extracted from the chamber 6 or air under pressure supplied thereto.

When a stocking has been examined on the form 1 and is found to be satisfactory it is, when released, drawn down the tube 2 as the control valve 18 is normally disposed so that air is being extracted from the chamber 6. In order to prevent air passing into the delivery pipe 7 and into the chamber 6 the delivery end of the delivery pipe 7 is provided with a flap valve 20. Consequently when the stocking is moved down the form it is drawn into and along the tube 2 until the end of the stocking has moved a short distance out of the end of the tube 2 when further movement is checked as no air is passing along the delivery pipe 7 and the stocking cannot be drawn through the annular space 9 previously mentioned and into the chamber 6 as the annular space 9 is not made large enough to permit of this. When the stocking has come to rest the control valve 18 is moved tosupply air under pressure to the chamber 6 and the air escapes through the annular space 9 into the delivery pipe 7 and carries the stocking along the latter. The air pressure opens the flap valve 20 and when the leading end of the stocking strikes the flap valve its motion is stopped but the rest of the stocking is blown out by the air pressure, turning it around end for end in the process and the stocking falls in extended form on the table 5, successive stockings falling on top of each other. The flap valve may be provided with an adjustable stop or counterweight 21 to control the angular position of the flap valve when opened to ensure that it checks the toe end of the stocking and suitable control means are provided in the valve casing port connected to the chamber so that the pressure supplied thereto can be controlled and adjusted to the right amount for the stockings to fall onto the table.

The invention is described above as used with a form adapted to extend a stocking when drawn thereon but in some cases it may be desirable to use a form which is adapted to extend a stocking after it has been placed on the form. In this case the bracket which carries the tube is in the form of a cylinder and a piston associated therewith is connected to extending members carried by the tube and arranged so that when air under pressure is supplied to the cylinder the piston moves the extending members into their stocking extending positions and retracts them when air is withdrawn from the cylinder. For this purpose the cylinder is connected by a pipe to a port in the control valve casing and the control valve arranged to supply air under pressure to the cylinder or withdraw air therefrom as desired. The control valve may be arranged to work in the following manner. In one position air is extracted from the cylinder and chamber. A stocking is placed on the form and the control valve moved to supply air under pressure to the cylinder and chamber which extends the form. After the stocking has been examined the valve is returned to its initial position which collapses the form and the stocking is drawn into the tube and along the latter until its leading end enters the delivery pipe. Anotherstocking is placed on the form and the valve moved to its second position when the stocking on the form is extended and the previously examined stocking delivered on to the table. If a stocking is found to be faulty it can easily 3 be removed from the form when the latter is collapsed by drawing it off by the toe.

Instead of delivering the examined hose on to the table it may be desired to have them delivered into a receptacle or preferably a bag. For this purpose the arrangement shown in FIG. 4 is provided. In this arrangement the flap valve 20 on the end of the delivery pipe 7 is shown disposed over a frame 22 adapted to support a bag 23 indicated by broken lines in FIG. 4 so that hose are delivered directly into the bag.

Where a number of machines are provided for producing hose, each machine producing one stocking or sock at a time, as for example, a number of circular knitting machines, the hose, when removed from the machine, have to be taken to a collecting point. This would normally entail a considerable amount of walking for the machine attendant and in order to avoid this the arrangement shown in FIG. 5 is provided. With this arrangement a plurality of 'forms 1 are provided and are disposed at convenient points. The air chamber 6 associated with each form 1 is connected to a valve casing which is connected to a blower in the same manner as that described in connection with the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. The valve associated with each valve casing is operated by a foot pedal 24 or a lever. The valves are normally in a position in which air is being extracted from the air chambers 6 and the delivery pipes 7 from the air chambers are all connected to a common conveyor pipe 25 leading to a collecting point. The delivery end of the conveyor pipe 25 is provided with a flap valve 20 as in the previously described arrangement to prevent air being drawn into the end of the pipe. When hose are removed from the machines they are placed on the nearest form and examined and on release are drawn down the air passage in the form until they enter the end of the delivery pipe. The foot pedal 24 is then operated and air under pressure supplied to the air chamber 6 and the hose is then conveyed to and stacked at the collecting point and thus saving the machine attendant much walking.

If preferred the valve chambers may be arranged so that the valves are in a neutral position and consequently the air chambers are normally at atmospheric pressure. In this case the valve operating pedal or lever is normally in a neutral position and is moved from its neutral position into one operative position to connect the air chamber to the inlet side of the blower and to extract air from the air chamber and into a second operative position to connect the air chamber to the outlet side of the blower to supply air under pressure to the air chamber.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for examining hose or half hose comprising in combination a rotatably mounted form to extend the hose or half hose, a passage through the form from the toe end thereof for receiving hose toe end first, an air chamber, a delivery pipe extending from inside the air chamber to a delivery point, a tube extending from the passage in the form into the chamber end of the delivery pipe, an air space between the outside of the tube and the inside of the delivery pipe, a flap valve on the delivery end of the delivery pipe for engaging and temporarily holding the toe end of hose while the hose is turned end for end, and means to produce an air stream first through the passage in the form and then through the delivery pipe.

2. Apparatus for examining hose or half hose comprising in combination a rotatably mounted form to extend the hose or half hose, a passage through the form from the toe end thereof for receiving hose toe end first, an air chamber, a bracket on a table to carry the air chamber, a delivery pipe extending from inside the air chamber to a delivery point, a tube extending from the passage in the form through the bracket into the chamber end of the delivery pipe, hearings in the bracket to carry the tube, an air space between the outside of the tube and the inside of the chamber end of the delivery pipe, a flap valve on the delivery end of the delivery pipe for engaging and temporarily holding the toe end of hose while the hose is turned end for end, and means to produce an air stream first through the passage in the form from the toe end to the air chamber and then through the delivery pipe from the air chamber to the delivery end of the delivery pipe.

3. Apparatus for examining hose or half hose according to claim 2 in which the means to produce an air stream through the passage in the form and the delivery pipe comprises a blower, a valve casing having a valve therein, a port in the valve casing connected to the inlet port of the blower, a second port in the valve casing connected to the outlet port of the blower, a third port in the valve casing connected to the air chamber and means to move the valve so that the air chamber can be first connected to the inlet port of the blower and then to the outlet port of the blower.

4. Apparatus for examining hose or half hose according to claim 2 in which the flap valve is provided with a counterweight to limit the amount of its movement by the air stream through the delivery pipe.

5. Apparatus for examining hose or half hose according to claim 2 in which the delivery end of the delivery pipe is disposed over a table.

6. Apparatus for examining hose or half hose according to claim 2 in which the delivery end of the delivery pipe is disposed over a frame adapted to support a bag.

7. Apparatus for examining hose or half hose comprising a plurality of rotatably mounted hose examining forms adapted to extend hose or half hose placed thereon, a passage through each form for receiving hose toe end first, an air chamber for each form, a delivery pipe extending from inside each air chamber and fixedly connected to a common conveyor pipe leading to a delivery point, a tube extending from the passage in each form into the air chamber end of its associated delivery pipe, an air space between each tube and the inside of the delivery pipe, a flap valve on the end of the conveyor pipe at the delivery end for engaging and temporarily holding the toe end of hose while the hose is turned end for end, and means associated with each form adapted to produce an air stream first down the form to the air chamber, and then from the air chamber to the delivery point.

8. Apparatus for examining hose or half hose comprising in combination a rotatably mounted form to extend the hose or half hose, a passage through the form from the toe end thereof for receiving hose toe end first, an air chamber, a delivery pipe extending from inside the air chamber to a delivery point, a tube extending from the passage in the form into the chamber end of the delivery pipe, an air space between the outside of the tube and the inside of the delivery pipe, a fiap valve on the delivery end of the delivery pipe for engaging and temporarily holding the toe end of hose while the hose is turned end for end, and means for first producing a vacuum in the air chamber to draw hose through the passage and then producing air pressure within the air chamber to force the hose through the delivery pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,890,818 Harralson June 16, 1959 2,899,116 Long Aug. 11, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 801,937 Great Britain Sept. 24, 1958 

